General Repaint Question and Warranty
Discussion
Hoping the wealth of knowledge on the forum can help with a dilemma...
I'm currently running a fantastic 997.1 C4S Cab in GT Silver Metallic. Unfortunately there are a few scratches and some peeling paint/clearcoat (due to stone chips) across several panels:
a) the front bumper,
b) the bonnet,
c) the rear bumper, and,
d) one of the rear quarter panels.
Having had a few quotes and looking at all the damage together (damage to the car and to the wallet) I'm starting to wonder if it makes sense to have all of the panels repainted, both the damaged ones and the undamaged ones (the doors, the other quarter panels and the cab housing). I'm assuming everything can be done (relatively) easily except for the A pillars and the top edge of the windscreen.
Thoughts?
Is this a silly approach and will it create all manner of other problems?
Also, the car is currently under Porsche Warranty... am I obliged to have any work handled through Porsche?
Appreciate your help.
I'm currently running a fantastic 997.1 C4S Cab in GT Silver Metallic. Unfortunately there are a few scratches and some peeling paint/clearcoat (due to stone chips) across several panels:
a) the front bumper,
b) the bonnet,
c) the rear bumper, and,
d) one of the rear quarter panels.
Having had a few quotes and looking at all the damage together (damage to the car and to the wallet) I'm starting to wonder if it makes sense to have all of the panels repainted, both the damaged ones and the undamaged ones (the doors, the other quarter panels and the cab housing). I'm assuming everything can be done (relatively) easily except for the A pillars and the top edge of the windscreen.
Thoughts?
Is this a silly approach and will it create all manner of other problems?
Also, the car is currently under Porsche Warranty... am I obliged to have any work handled through Porsche?
Appreciate your help.
Lordglenmorangie said:
Every used Porsche has had the front painted before sale 
Not true. 

Only those that need it.

OP
I would think very carefully before considering a total respray this will be very costly as to do a proper job and major stripping of the car will be required.
The peeling lacquer could indicate the car has been repainted before at some point. It would be useful to find out to what extent.
You need to be careful with silvers they can be difficult to match......

av185 said:
I would think very carefully before considering a total respray this will be very costly as to do a proper job and major stripping of the car will be required.
Yeah I'm not too enthusiastic about shelling out but the quotes I've received for respraying the specific panels are coming in at around 75% of the quote I have from RSJ to do a full respray. I'm assuming RSJ are good for a full respray?av185 said:
The peeling lacquer could indicate the car has been repainted before at some point. It would be useful to find out to what extent.
Any suggestions as to how I can find this out? A paint depth gauge?av185 said:
You need to be careful with silvers they can be difficult to match......
Yeah, concerned about that and this is partly driving my potential preference for a full respray.
Appreciate your help. I don't want to make a decision on this lightly.
Difficult decision. 
I think you also have to consider how much a future potential purchaser may be deterred away from the car knowing it has been totally repainted. A total repaint could impact on residuals. The car sounds between 5.5 and 9 years old I guess.
On the other hand, by painting the bonnet and rear quarter chances are this will have to be blown into adjoining panels anyway (wing tops, door etc) prior to lacquering those panels also.
Personally don t know anything of RSJ, I assume you refer to the Porsche Indies but do they have their own paintshop......

I think you also have to consider how much a future potential purchaser may be deterred away from the car knowing it has been totally repainted. A total repaint could impact on residuals. The car sounds between 5.5 and 9 years old I guess.
On the other hand, by painting the bonnet and rear quarter chances are this will have to be blown into adjoining panels anyway (wing tops, door etc) prior to lacquering those panels also.
Personally don t know anything of RSJ, I assume you refer to the Porsche Indies but do they have their own paintshop......
av185 said:
You need to be careful with silvers they can be difficult to match......
Question? Is there any colour / paint that isn't difficult to match? Regardless of colour I can't think of a single occasion where this BS statement hasn't been trotted out when talking about painting a car.
GregorFuk said:
av185 said:
You need to be careful with silvers they can be difficult to match......
Question? Is there any colour / paint that isn't difficult to match? Regardless of colour I can't think of a single occasion where this BS statement hasn't been trotted out when talking about painting a car.

Darker the metallic the easier to match.

Simples.......
Lordglenmorangie said:
av185 said:
Lordglenmorangie said:
Every used Porsche has had the front painted before sale 
Not true. 

Only those that need it.

They all need it


Oh yes, and not forgetting the dozen or so 911s that I have bought and know for a fact they have had no paint whatsoever otherwise I would not have bought them......

av185 said:
Lordglenmorangie said:
av185 said:
Lordglenmorangie said:
Every used Porsche has had the front painted before sale 
Not true. 

Only those that need it.

They all need it


Oh yes, and not forgetting the dozen or so 911s that I have bought and know for a fact they have had no paint whatsoever otherwise I would not have bought them......


Lordglenmorangie said:
av185 said:
Lordglenmorangie said:
av185 said:
Lordglenmorangie said:
Every used Porsche has had the front painted before sale 
Not true. 

Only those that need it.

They all need it


Oh yes, and not forgetting the dozen or so 911s that I have bought and know for a fact they have had no paint whatsoever otherwise I would not have bought them......


Just simple proof your statement that EVERY used OPC Porsche having the front painted before sale is clearly ridiculous......

av185 said:
Not BS. 
Darker the metallic the easier to match.
Simples.......
So explain why I got the usual sucking through the teeth "difficult colour to match sir" answer when investigating the repair of a scratch to my Carbon Black BMW? Like I said it's a BS statement trotted out by default.
Darker the metallic the easier to match.

Simples.......
GregorFuk said:
av185 said:
Not BS. 
Darker the metallic the easier to match.
Simples.......
So explain why I got the usual sucking through the teeth "difficult colour to match sir" answer when investigating the repair of a scratch to my Carbon Black BMW? Like I said it's a BS statement trotted out by default.
Darker the metallic the easier to match.

Simples.......

Sounds like you need to vote with your feet, or should I say wheels, and find one of the many paintshops who know their onions........

av185 said:
Do I know your paintshop(s)? 
Sounds like you need to vote with your feet, or should I say wheels, and find one of the many paintshops who know their onions........
Clearly some colours will be more difficult to match - carbon black is likely an outlier though as it changes colour depending on light / angle - inky blue to black...
Sounds like you need to vote with your feet, or should I say wheels, and find one of the many paintshops who know their onions........

However I would hope a decent paintshop would take it in their stride rather than make an issue of it...
I can speak with porsche approved Bodyshop knowledge and experience. If the vehicle has lacquer peel not caused by a stone chip, it's been painted already a paint depth gauge will tell you this. If it's more than 600 microns (from memory) then Porsche will recommend back to metal repaint. If the work is carried out a Porsche Centre Approved Bodyshop (PCABR) then the work will carry a lifetime guarantee of repair (LGOR) this is issued by Porsche GB, the vehicle will be required to have an annual inspection by the PCABR , this is free and the LGOR book is stamped. Can sometimes include a free wash and vacuum and vehicle will be put on PIWIS and a log produced.
No paint manufacturer will guarantee a perfect match edge to edge, hence the need for blending into adjacent panels. The amount of lacquer applied can have a greater effect on what you see than the colour itself. If your car has been painted in, for example Spies Hecker, then the same colour code when formulated and mixed in Glasurit may not be the same. You will also find there are many variants with these colours as the paint manufactures buy pigments from different sources. So as you can see the chance of an edge to edge match is difficult. Each manufacture also produce different types of lacquer or clear-coat which can further complicate the issue.
When a body shop has a lot of experience with a particular brand eg Porsche they will have a far better idea of what is achievable. But they won't know what your car has been painted in after it has left the factory and been painted by another body shop.
Silver can be a hard colour to blend as can some of the more pearlescent dark colours eg mercedes.
The standard set out by Porsche GB, for used car preparation for sale is very high and exacting. In my experience you would be very lucky to find one that hasn't had a front end paint due to chips etc.
Again if the car has had a body repair if done by a PCABR it should be near impossible to tell only a paint depth gauge should give the game away.
I hope this helps with your decision
No paint manufacturer will guarantee a perfect match edge to edge, hence the need for blending into adjacent panels. The amount of lacquer applied can have a greater effect on what you see than the colour itself. If your car has been painted in, for example Spies Hecker, then the same colour code when formulated and mixed in Glasurit may not be the same. You will also find there are many variants with these colours as the paint manufactures buy pigments from different sources. So as you can see the chance of an edge to edge match is difficult. Each manufacture also produce different types of lacquer or clear-coat which can further complicate the issue.
When a body shop has a lot of experience with a particular brand eg Porsche they will have a far better idea of what is achievable. But they won't know what your car has been painted in after it has left the factory and been painted by another body shop.
Silver can be a hard colour to blend as can some of the more pearlescent dark colours eg mercedes.
The standard set out by Porsche GB, for used car preparation for sale is very high and exacting. In my experience you would be very lucky to find one that hasn't had a front end paint due to chips etc.
Again if the car has had a body repair if done by a PCABR it should be near impossible to tell only a paint depth gauge should give the game away.
I hope this helps with your decision
Edited by otp on Saturday 4th January 11:27
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